Isaiah
Verse 3. Stock. I will give fresh life to my people, as to the figure of Christ’s Church.
EXPLANATIONS
Isaiah 44
Historical chapter commentary
Isaiah
Verse 5. Israel. They shall no longer be ashamed of being called Israelites or Christians.
Isaiah
Verse 8. Witnesses. The history of the true religion is its best proof. Calmet. 43:9. 10.—Known. Ruled, consequently no other can be truly God. Calmet.—Idolaters are foolish, trusting in those who cannot announce future events. Worthington.
Isaiah
Verse 9. Ashamed of the origin and imbecility of their idols. Calmet.—All this may be turned against heretics, who worship their own fictions; which the Church never does. Saint Jerome Worthington.
Isaiah
Verse 12. File. Hebrew mahatsad, ( Bible. Jeremiah 10:3.) “to make an ax, with,” and so forth This is the remote cause of the idol.
Isaiah
Verse 13. Man. To be styled afterwards a god. Calmet.—Maluit esse deum. Hor. i. ser. 8.
Isaiah
Verse 18. Covered. Septuagint “darkened.” Are Catholics in the same predicament? Calmet. 40:18. Bible.
Isaiah
Verse 20. Lie. Can I assert in conscience that it is a god?
Isaiah
Verse 22. Return from captivity, ( Calmet.) and from their former errors. Matthew 11:26. Bible.
Isaiah
Verse 25. Mad. That people may be no longer deluded.
Isaiah
Verse 26. Servant. The prophets and Jesus Christ, whose works never fail. Matthew 24:35. Calmet.—In all this prediction of the Church, Isaias alludes to Jerusalem destroyed, and afterwards rebuilt. Worthington.
Isaiah
Verse 27. Deep. Babylon, situated amid waters. Calmet. 21:1. Calmet.—Rivers, as Cyrus did. Herod. i. 191.
Isaiah
Verse 28. Cyrus. This was spoken 110 years before his birth, which shews the prescience and power of God, so as not to injure free-will. The parents of Cyrus could not give him this name to fulfill the prediction, as they knew nothing of it. Amon was apprised that a person called Josias would overturn idolatry; but he had no reason to suppose that it would be his son. 1 Kennicott. 13:2.—My shepherd. Chal. “that he shall reign.” This was shewn by the Jews to Cyrus, on which account, ( Calmet.) he gave them leave to return, and so forth Joseph. xi. 1.—The title of shepherd is given to Agamemnon by Homer, and it denotes a good prince, such as historians represent Cyrus to have been. He observed that kings and shepherds had the like duties to perform; (Xenoph. viii.) and after his death he was bewailed as a “father.” Herod. iii. 89.—At first he did not bear the name of Cyrus, (Herod. i. 113.) which in the Persian language means “the sun.” Ctesias. Plut.